Who We Are

Minnehaha Creek Watershed District is a local unit of government
responsible for managing and protecting the water resources in
one of the largest and most heavily-used urban watersheds in Minnesota.

The watershed stretches 178-square miles from St. Bonifacius
to south Minneapolis and includes Lake Minnetonka, the
Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, Minnehaha Creek, and Minnehaha
Falls. It includes eight major creeks, 129 lakes, and thousands of
wetlands. Learn more about the watershed.

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Board of Managers Meeting Minutes April 13th 2017

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF

THE MINNEHAHA CREEK WATERSHED DISTRICT

BOARD OF MANAGERS

April 13, 2017

CALL TO ORDER

The regular
meeting of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Board of Managers was called to
order by President Sherry White at 6:52 p.m. on April 13, 2017, at the MCWD offices,
15320 Minnetonka Boulevard, Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Manager White added
a discussion of correspondence with the City of Victoria to the agenda. Manager
Olson moved and Manager Becker seconded approval of the agenda as amended. Upon
vote, the motion carried 6-0.

CONSENT AGENDA

Manager Miller moved and
Manager Rogness seconded approval of the consent agenda, consisting of: approval
of the minutes of the March 23, 2017, meeting; and adoption of the following:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the District Administrator is
authorized, on advice from District Counsel, to execute the Minnehaha Preserve Operations
and Maintenance Plan.

Resolution 17-029: Authorization
to Release the Annual Report to the Board of Water and Soil Resources ?

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Minnehaha Creek Watershed
Board of Managers accepts the 2016 Annual Report and authorizes its release,
along with the District's 2016 audit, to BWSR.

Upon vote, the motion
carried 6-0.

REGULAR AGENDA

Board, Committee and Task Force Report

President's report: President
White said she attended the Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts legislative
breakfast, but will defer to Manager Rogness and Manager Becker, who also
attended, for a report on the event. She highlighted some items on the schedule
of upcoming events, including the April 29 storm drain stenciling event, which
is the first of the District's 50-year anniversary events. She hoped managers will
attend. She stated that the next event is May 6. The second policymakers event
is coming up in May and Metro MAWD meets Tuesday, April 18, at Capital Region
Watershed District. She said the District will need to appoint two delegates
and an alternate for the meeting at the MAWD summer tour in June. She noted
that the tour conflicts with the District's second meeting in June, so the
managers will need to determine whether to defer the meeting. She also noted
that Perry Forster from Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District will be
at the next managers meeting to discuss some of the issues coming up on the
MAWD summer tour agenda for which a business meeting is necessary. She noted
that earlier in the month she visited the Minnehaha Preserve Greenway with a friend,
who was duly impressed.

Executive Committee report:
President White noted that the Executive Committee met earlier in the
evening with the auditor, who will appear later in the agenda to present his
report on the 2016 audit.

Policy and Planning
Committee: Manager Miller observed that the entire board attended the
meeting earlier this evening so he didn?t feel the need to add any report.

Citizens Advisory
Committee: Manager Becker reported on the Citizens Advisory Committee
meeting from last night, stating that there was good attendance and the group
discussed some of the City of Orono's plans for the Big Island Nature Park. He
said that Brian Girard, a member of the CAC, has been appointed to a committee
formed by the city to look at the future of Big Island. He noted the importance
of monitoring the activities of the committee for the District's interest
generally and specifically with regard to its easement rights in the park.
Manager Miller noted his concurrence with Manager Becker's assessment of the
importance of the Orono Big Island committee's work. Manager Miller moved and Manager
Becker seconded to direct the administrator to attend meetings of the committee.
Lars Erdahl stated that staff has strategically been allowing the
process in Orono to unfold without seeking direct District involvement other
than making the city aware of the District's easement interest in the property.
He said Mr. Girard will be able to provide the CAC and the managers with
updates on the committee's work. He stated that it may be necessary for the
District to make a presentation on its property rights at some point. Manager
Miller said that communications and documents can be relatively easily ignored,
and he believes that it is important for the District to have a presence on the
committee. After further discussion, the managers agreed that the administrator
should use his discretion to take the appropriate action with regard to
participation in the Orono committee and attendance at committee meetings. Manager
Miller and Manager Becker concurred in the amendment of the motion to direct the
administrator to engage and participate as appropriate in discussions of
reprogramming Big Island Nature Park. Upon vote, the motion carried 6-0. Manager
Becker continued, noting that the CAC is concerned with the enforcement of
existing laws on the application of aquatic herbicides. He said that the CAC
also received a presentation from Michael Hayman on the District's capital plan
for its updated comprehensive plan. The CAC is interested in learning how it
can contribute to the development of the capital plan before it is sent out for
the statutory 60-day review.

MAWD report: Manager
Rogness said the MAWD legislative breakfast had a significantly different tone this
year than it did last year, when the mood was generally optimistic. He said attendees
are concerned that the legislature will not provide funding for buffer law
enforcement and there was quite a bit of disappointment about progress on environmental
issues generally, mirroring the national dialogue. He said that he met with his
senator, Scott Dibble, and representative, Paul Thissen. Manager Becker added
that there is significant concern among MAWD members about bond funding for
flood-control projects. Manager Rogness and Manager Becker reported that their
understanding is that a bill to reorganize metropolitan watershed organizations
will not move forward this year.

Audit Presentation 2016

Mark Gibbs from Redpath appeared before the Board of Managers
and provided a report on Redpath's audit of the District's 2016 financial
performance. He stated that the audit resulted in an unmodified opinion, which
is the most desirable outcome. He highlighted several findings of the audit,
including the net positive financial position shown on page 12 of the report
and reduction in fund balance at the end of 2016. He stated that new this year
is a statement of the District's employee retirement fund obligation as a
liability, as directed by the General Accounting Standards Board. He said that
there are some findings with regard to late payment of one invoice on page 66
in the audit, but that finding has already been addressed through a change of
protocol.

In response to questions from Manager Miller, Mr. Gibbs
confirmed that checks drawn on the District's checking account and payroll
draws are both prepared by a third-party accountant, and that the District's
financial practices and controls are consistent with or better than those
utilized by comparable organizations. The managers thanked Mr. Gibbs for his
presentation.

District staff member Eric Fieldseth appeared before the
Board of Managers to introduce the final report on the three-year study of carp
proliferation, movement and recruitment in the Six Mile Marsh subwatershed. He
stated that the final report is in the packet for the meeting this evening and
that as hoped and expected, it provides a solid basis for the District to
develop a carp management plan for the subwatershed. Mr. Fieldseth provided
background for the project and said that the management plan will be implemented
in phases that will take place over a number of years and will involve an
adaptive management approach. Mr. Fieldseth introduced Peter Sorenson from the
University of Minnesota, who was the lead researcher for the study. Dr.
Sorenson provided an overview of the study, showing recruitment areas within
the Six Mile Marsh subwatershed and water resources in the subwatershed,
locations for possible barriers to control carp, removal measures to be taken
and the 100 kilogram per hectare threshold at which carp begin to damage a
water resource. Dr. Sorenson provided some history of the introduction of carp
into the United States, and he discussed some particular features of the fish,
including its voraciousness, ability to compete and long lifespan, with
individuals sometimes living as long as 60 years. Dr. Sorenson introduced
Justine Dauphinais, who presented the study's findings and discussed next
steps. She stated that the District study included 122 whole-lake carp-population
surveys. Ms. Dauphinais turned the presentation over to her colleague Reid Swanson,
who discussed carp recruitment, which describes the ability of carp not only to
breed but to successfully integrate young into established carp populations.
Mr. Swanson said Lundsten Lake is likely a nursery for carp in the Six Mile
Creek subwatershed. Ms. Dauphinais reviewed the management strategy, noting
that the District is going to have to first address recruitment, then remove a
number of the many, many carp that ae in the system already. She said that the
work can be broken down into management units based on geography. She said that
the team recommends a barrier west of Halsted Bay to isolate the Six Mile Creek
subwatershed. Once that is in place, the District can start to remove carp from
the headwaters and move downstream through the system. She mentioned that
recruitment can be suppressed through aerating lakes to prevent bluegill winter
kill because bluegill in sufficient numbers can help control the carp
population by eating carp eggs. She said recruitment can also be curtailed
through use of barriers and showed locations in the subwatershed where barriers
could be effective. With regard to removal of adult carp she said that 75
percent of the carp from the Parley-Mud-Halsted breeding and headwaters areas
would have to be removed.

Mr. Swanson reviewed several of the possible methods for
removing carp, including winter seining, stream trapping, baited trapping and application
of piscicides in connection with draw downs. He discussed the pros and cons of
each method.

In response to a question from Manager Olson, Mr. Swanson stated
that the District researchers were able to tell the age of carp by using
laboratory analyses of ear bones. The managers discussed the possibility of
using electronic barriers, which Dr. Sorenson stated are not effective though sound
barriers and bubble barriers may be effective in controlling or moving carp
populations. In response to a question from Manager Miller, Mr. Swanson stated
that if the District had unlimited funds the carp population could be brought
under control in a few years. Mr. Fieldseth added that the District's budget is
$75,000 to $100,000 for the first year of implementation and that it could
invest upward of $200,000 to aggressively curtail the carp population in the
Six Mile subwatershed. He stated that Halsted's Bay is the biggest task,
requiring ongoing work. With regard to a question from Manager Olson, Dr.
Sorenson stated that electro-fishing is effective for research but not for removing
carp. In response to a question from Manager White, the researchers provided
additional information about conditions that are necessary for carp recruitment
to be successful.

The managers complimented the researchers on their scope and
depth of their efforts and their clear and definitive presentation.

Permit 17-121: Minnehaha
Preserve Enhancement

Katherine Sylvia presented the staff report on the
application for a permit for addition of a boardwalk extension, trail and
parking area to the District's Minnehaha Creek Preserve project. She stated
that in accordance with District policy regarding permits for its own projects,
the application is before the Board of Managers for decision. Ms. Sylvia
reviewed the history of the work in the area, noting the partnership with the
Japs Olson Company next door to the project site which resulted in construction
of a large filtration basin to provide stormwater management for the Japs Olson
expansion, and the trade of treatment capacity on the Cold Storage property in
exchange for Japs Olson deeding the 3.7 acres of property to the District that
is the location of the filtration basin.

Ms. Sylvia reviewed the proposed enhancements, noting that
the boardwalk extension will connect to the existing boardwalk and the District
will add a trail connecting to the boardwalk. She stated that the work triggers
the District's waterbody crossings, stormwater management and wetland
protection rules. She reviewed compliance with the stormwater management
criteria, noting that 2,601 square feet of the 7,825 square feet of
imperviousness to be added for the parking lot does not drain to the filtration
basin and instead drains to Excelsior Pond, which is a lined pond that was
constructed by the District. The pond does not provide abstraction, but in
accordance with paragraph 3(2)(b) of the Stormwater Management Rule, the
project provides the required phosphorus removal.

She stated that because of grades on the property and the
proximity of the stormwater filtration basin, the buffer provided on the
wetlands to the east do not meet the applicable widths, noting that the wetland
is rated Preserve in part and Manage 1 in part. She said the trail will be
titled away from the wetland and toward the filtration basin so runoff from the
trail will be treated, fulfilling one of the functions provided by buffer. Based
on this finding and the overall water resources benefits provided by the
project, staff is recommending approval of an exception for both the buffer
shortfall and stormwater abstraction shortfall. Manager Olson moved and Manager
Miller seconded approval of permit 17-121.

In response to a question from Manager Olson, Ms. Sylvia
explained that the trail is not included in the impervious-area calculations
because the trail has vegetation on either side of it, making it exempt from the
stormwater criteria. Mr. Welch added that the boardwalk by definition is not included
in the impervious-area calculations. Manager Miller discussed the history of
the area and the development that was allowed to fill in wetland on the other
side of the project property in the early ?90s. At the same time the District
had a policy of not making urban purchases so he is pleased to see the
development of this project as presented tonight. Mr. Welch noted that it is
important to recognize that the District owns the available capacity in the
filtration facility as a function of its agreement with Japs Olson. Upon
vote the motion carried 6-0.

Correspondence with City of Victoria

James Wisker came before the Board of Managers to discuss an
exchange of correspondence with the mayor of the City of Victoria. In 2014,
high-water conditions caused homes around Lake Zumbra in Carver County to experience
significant flooding. The homes are both very close to the lake and at low
elevations. In response to a request from the city and Carver County, the
District agreed to serve in a technical advisory capacity for efforts to find a
solution to the flooding problem, but communicated that it was not in position
to solve the problem. He stated that the District recently presented the
results of the study, which showed that any remedial actions on Lake Zumbra
would cause additional encroachment on property downstream and in particular on
property owned by Three Rivers Park District. He stated that there was a March
1 meeting at the city that looked at four or five remedial scenarios, but
acknowledged that no permanent solution is available. After the meeting the mayor
of Victoria sent a letter that requested that the District continue in its
coordinating role with regard to flooding solutions. Mr. Wisker presented a
draft letter to the managers stating that the principal thrust is that the District
will not put itself in a position of advocating for a particular solution
involving pushing additional water downstream onto Three Rivers Park District
property to the park district. Manager Olson noted that he thought the letter
was well written and should be sent as drafted.

Administrator's Report

Lars Erdahl
stated that the Carver County master finance agreement will soon to be ready to
be brought before the county board for approval, then will be brought to the
Board of Managers for review and approval. Mr. Erdahl continued, noting that invitations
for the policymakers event have been issued and so far response has been strong.
He stated that the human resources strategic plan has been presented to the board
liaisons to the human resources planning effort and that with the addition of some
further content in response to that meeting, the plan will be brought to the board
with a proposal to implement the plan at the end of May. The report identifies
human resources needs, gaps, and ideas to address those gaps.

ADJOURNMENT

There
being no further business, the meeting of the Board of Managers adjourned at 8:11
p.m.